Saudi Arabia · Citizenship by naturalisation
Saudi Naturalisation
Open
Last verified July 2026
Exists in law but is wholly discretionary. Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to a small number of exceptional individuals (scientists, doctors, scholars) by royal decree since 2021, but there is no programme and no reliable route.
Included so that nobody sells you the idea that Premium Residency is a citizenship pathway. It is not. No Gulf state naturalises foreign investors, at any price, and Saudi Arabia requires renunciation of your existing nationality.
Qualifying routes
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Discretionary naturalisation
Roughly 10 years' lawful residence, Arabic fluency, clean record, and exceptional contribution to the Kingdom. Granted at the discretion of the state, typically by royal decree.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- No published fee — there is no purchasable route
- Physical presence
- Approximately 10 years' residence, in practice continuous
- Family
- spouse and children may be included at the state's discretion
- Permanent residency
- Premium Residency is the practical ceiling
- Citizenship
- Discretionary only
- Language test
- Arabic fluency required
- Dual citizenship
- Not permitted — you would have to renounce
- Requirements
- approximately 10 years' lawful residenceArabic fluencyclean recordexceptional contributionrenunciation of existing nationality
What can go wrong
- Dual citizenship is generally not permitted — naturalisation would require renouncing your existing passport, which for a UHNW family is almost always value-destroying given the Saudi passport ranks 54th.
- There is no application route an investor can rely on. Any adviser presenting Premium Residency as a citizenship pathway is misrepresenting it.
- Arabic fluency is a real requirement.